Darning attachment for sewing machines



A ril 30, 1957 P. c. SOMERS ET AL 2,790,404

DARNING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed June 22, 1953 //\/z L=/\/ 7-57 35 PAUL c someks ARTHUR \N. ROHNSON wh /w TTUFNEKE United States Patent DARNING ATTACHMENT FOR. SEWING MACHINES Paul C. Somers and Arthur W..Robinson, Portland, Oreg. Application June22, 1953, Serial No. 362,996

9 Claims. (Cl.-112-.-12l) This invention relates to. improvements in darning attachments. for sewing machines.

Theprimary object of the present inventionis to provide a darning attachmenthaving meanssothat said attachment can be removably secured to thepresser bar of a conventional sewingmachine.

Another object is to provide a darning attachment for sewing machines which has a. contoured bottom surface forguiding the work thereunderin reciprocatory movement so that interlacing stitches of yarn or thread to mend an article of hosiery and the like may be made while maintaining the original shape of the damaged piece across the mended portion.

Another object .is to provide-a darningattachment having means to hold loosely a rolled portion of an article of hosiery and the like so that .a damaged area of an.

unrolled portion thereofmay readily be manipulated relative to the attachment.

Another object is to provide a darning attachment formed from a transparent substance which. insures full visibility of the darning operation.

A still further object is to provide a darning attach.- ment which is inexpensive tomanufacture, durable in oPration, light in weight, and readily attachable to conventional sewing machines.

The invention is embodiedin an attachment adapted to be mounted. on a conventional sewing machine. having a presser bar,. a presser foot, and a reciprocating needle. The attachment preferably is molded from a; transparent substance such as vinyl acetate to insure full visibility of the darning operation. A socket member provides a releasable connection to the presser bar of the sewing machine.

A structural feature common to each of the several modifications of the invention comprises a substantially arcuate bottom surface under which the material to be mended is stretched to hold the damaged portion in approximately original shape during the darning operation. An aperture to receive the sewing machine needle is provided approximately centrally of the bottom surface, through which the needle is given vertical reciprocatory motion by operation of the machine. A reciprocal movement is applied to the material in the immediate vicinity of the needle to cause the needle to apply thereto an interlacing pattern of stitches of yarn or thread in ap.-

proximately the shape of the original goods.

In a preferred embodiment a generally cylindrical superstructure having vertically spaced horizontal tabs provides a place for the rolled portion of a stocking or the like during the darning operation. The cylindrical superstructure provides means for holding the rolled portion of the stocking out of the line of vision, so that the operator may keep close watch of the action ofthe needle and the progress of the yarn.

The invention will be. better understood and additional objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred forms of the device. It is to be understood, however, that the invention may take other forms, and that all such modifications and variations within the scope of the appended 2,790,404 Hatented Apr. 30, 1957 2 claims, and-which will occur topersonaskilled inn the art; are included in. the invention.

ln the drawings:

Figure l is1agperspecti-ve-view:of. a: portion of a'conventional sewing; machine with; a.- darning... attachment enibodying the instant inventiommounted-on the" presser bar;.

Figure 2 isa'longitudinal; sectional view of the attach ment. shown in- Figure 1 showing..-morelclearly the-means for-.mounting-the; damingattachment on theemachine;

Figure 3 is atopgplan view. of.the-*de'vice showniin Figure 1;

Figure 4 is ,-a sectional, view taken :on -the line'.:4'--4 :of Figure 2;...

Figure.5 .is atop planviewaof armodification of..the invention;

Figure 6 isaa sectionalviewtakemontthe;.line tie-f Figured;- and Figure 7 is aperspective-view-of another: modification.

A darning attachment embodying' the-presentinvention isgadaptedto be removably secured to .the presser -.bar of a conventional.sewingmachine ofthe typeswhichnsuall'y is driveneitherby an electric motor orby a footoperated treadle. Figure l shows aportion. ofaconventionalv type of sewing machine comprising a baseor bed portion 10. Mounted upon the. bed portion--10 is an upright standard (not. shown) havinga 1 horizontally,- extending arm. Mountedon. the end-ofthe arm is a head -13 havinga needle bar 14 journaledthereiniforvertical reciprocatory movement, said needle.barhaving means on. itsv lower end removably to carry;a.-needler15. Azdriving pulley rotatably mounted ontheupright standard drives a horizontal shaft,. not shown, which imparts reciprocator'y movementto the needle bar 14. A vertical presser bar 17 is mounted in the head v 13 and .is adjustable'froma loweredv sewing positionto a raised non-sewing. position. A presser foot ordinarily is mounted on. the lower end of the. bar.17, this-foot being removably securedto said bar. Thread is. fed tothe needlelSfrom a spooLmounted on the horizontally extending arm, .and. stitches are formed by a:stitch forming mechanism l9mountedin the bed 10 of..the .machine. The vuprightstandard, drive pulley andhorizontally. extending arm-are standard-equip.- ment on sewingmachines. .ofthe type hereindescribed, and .are not shown on tliedrawings accompanying this specification.

A preferred embodiment of .thedarningattachment is shown in Figures 1-4, and comprises a supportfor a stocking or other Work W -to-be-repaired. The-support comprises. a cup-shaped structureopen at' its upper end and having a pair of'side walls 26 and 27, a front wall 28,. and a narrowed rear .wall 29, and assumes the shape shown in plan in Figure-3, the front and side walls being inclined inwardly. toward .thev bottom. asseen in Figures 2 and 4. Eachof the sidewalls 26 and 27 has a relatively large aperture'30 to. provide access through .the Walls to the inside area of vsaid 'structure, and the wall 27 may be provided with an additional and smaller aperture 32 forthe insertion of theblade ofa screwdriver. Front and rear walls 28 and29 have horizontal tabs 33 fixed adjacent the-upperedges of the wallswhich serve to-limit the movementof a portion of the work W carried by the holder in an upward direction.

The walled superstructure is.carried by a base25 which is substantially circular. in shape,.as seen in the plan view of Figure 3, and towhich'it'is secured as an integral part thereof. Thebase'i25 is'recessed; Figure 4, and has an aperture 36 for the sewing machine needle in its, bottom wall. Adjacent the rear end of the base, the. bottom wallis thickened to provide a support 37' upon whichfis securely seated a socket member 381. Socketmember. 38 has an internal bore. 39"and' a threadedradial .bore which tightly to engage the presser bar.

terminates in the bore 39 and which receives a set screw 40. The internal bore 39 of the socket member 38 is adapted to receive the lower end of the presser bar 17 of the sewing machine and the support is securelymounted on the presser bar by tightening the set screw 40, as with a screwdriver inserted through an aperture in the side wall 27. In any modification of the attachment herein illustrated the socket member may be molded with and as a part of the total structure. If the socket member is of plastic its vertical walls may be slotted and the socket member provided with a clamping ring to cause it In the event the socket member comprises a metal insert it is provided with a set screw as first hereinabove mentioned.

The aperture 36 in the bottom wall is so located that the sewing machine needle 15 can pass freely therethrough when the support is mounted on the sewing machine for a darning operation. In attachments intended for use on cross-stitch or zig-zag machines the aperture 36 which accommodates vertical movement of the sewing machine needle may be elongated as is conventionally done in presser foot structures for machines for making cross-stitch and similar types of stitching.

The bottom surface of the base 25 constitutes a guide for a layer of cloth to be manipulated thereunder, and,

as best seen in Figure 4, this surface has a central substantially flat surface 42, convex adjoining wall surfaces 43 and concave surfaces 44. The convex and concave portions of the bottom surface of the base are substantially concentric with the aperture 36, although allowance must be made because of the elongate shape of the device. The base 25 also has a pair of horizontal end tabs 46 disposed in vertical alignment with the upper tabs 33 on the walls 28 and 29. The movement of the stocking as applied during the darning operations is such moved into position under the end of the presser bar and the presser bar caused to engage in the socket 38, whereupon the clamping ring or set screw 40 is tightened to hold the attachment in position with the bottom surface thereof spaced a short distance above the bed of the machine.

The attachment is adjusted on the presser bar to align the needle with the aperture 36; and, if it is necessary to thread the needle when the attachment is mounted on the machine, easy access to the needle may be had through the apertures 30 in the side walls 26 and 27.

Assuming a hole in a stocking to be darned is in the toe, the stocking is first rolled from the upper end to and v including the toe to turn the stocking inside out and so expose the area to be darned. The rolled portion of the stocking is placed around the walls of the superstructure of the attachment and lies between the horizontal tabs -ficient distance above the bed 10 of the machine so that the rolled portion of the stocking can be readily passed under its bottom surface. The presser bar is then lowered to aposition so that the bottom surface of the attachment is spaced above the bed 10 of the machine only 'sufiiciently to permit the" portion of the stocking extending under the bottom surface of the base to be free for reciprocal movement, the device then being in darning position.

In the darning operation, the roll of the stocking is preferably gripped by the operator at points adjacent the side walls of the attachment so that the damaged portion extending under the bottom guide surface of the base 25 can be moved from side to side to the right and left asviewed in Figure 4, the stocking first being adjusted on the attachment so that the damaged portion lies under the aperture 36 in the base 25. With the sewing machine in operation, the operator moves the damaged portion of the stocking from side to side under the bottom surface of the base to fill the hole with interlacing stitches of yarn or thread. After repeated reciprocatory movements the stocking is rotated 90 relative to the attachment'and a similar operation performed to tie in thread at right angles to the first formed stitches, making a neat darn in a short time.

The contoured bottom surface of the base 25 is designed especially for guiding the work thereunder so that the mended portion will conform substantially to the shape of the work before the work was damaged. The majority of damage to stockings usually occurs in the heels and toes, and the contour of the bottom surface of the base 25 is so shaped that when a damaged portion of a stocking is stretched across the bottom surface of the base the damaged portion will be held in substantially its original shape. For example, when the damaged part to be darned is in the toe of the stocking where the radius 'of'curvature of the'material is relatively small, the toe of the stocking will conform more closely to the center portion of the bottom surface of the attachment, and the adjacent portion of the stocking will conform more closely to the concave surface portions 44 and so lessen the tendency to produce a darn having a radius out of proportion to the remainder of the toe. This smaller radius of curvature is maintained even when the Work is being manipulated by the operator during the darning operation for the reason that the work is gripped adjacent the roller portion and the material extending under the device is substantially free to assume its normal shape,

Figures 5 and 6 show a modification of the invention. This embodiment comprises a cup-like holder St), circular in shape, having concave-convex walls 51 carrying a pair of diametrically aligned tabs 52 adjacent their upper edge. The bottom wall 54 has a central fiat surface 55 with concentric convex, surfaces 56 which provide a guiding surface for the material to be repaired. The bottom wall 54 is provided with an aperture 57 to receive the sewing machine needle, and is thickened at one end to provide a support 59 for a socket member 60 having an internal bore 61 for receiving the presser bar of the sewing machine. A set screw 62 is threaded in a tapped radial bore in the socket member 60 for holding the device on the presser bar 17 of the sewing machine. In this embodiment the rolled portion of the stocking is carried around the concave walls and upward movement of the stocking is limited by the tabs 52.

Figure 7 shows a further modification adapted to be mounted on a sewing machine of the type having a presser bar, a removable presser foot and a reciprocating needle. This device comprises a disc-like guide element 65 having a concave upper surface and a convex or rounded bottom surface 66 for guiding the work thereunder in a darning operation. An aperture 67 in the bottom wall permits passage of the sewing machine needle, and a support 68 ismolded as an integral part of element 65 and carries a socket member 69 having a slot 70 therein to receive the presser bar or other means for securing the attachment to the sewing machine. The embodiment may comprise a solid disc-like guide element having a flat upper surface instead of a concave surface, but otherwise the structures are substantially alike.

The attachments described in connection with Figure 7 are primarily for use with fiat work which has he rolled portion to interfere with visibility of the darning operation, and so introduces no problem of supporting any portion of the goods out of the line of vision. These attachments also are transparent and offer full visibility of the darning operation.

Having now described our invention and in what manner the same may be used, what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. An attachment for darning, embroidering and the like adapted to be mounted on a sewing machine of the type having a presser bar and a reciprocating needle, comprising a cup-shaped support member for supporting on its exterior surface a rolled portion of the work material out of the line of vision of an operator watching the progress of work performed by said needle, said support memher having a rounded bottom arranged to guide thereunder throughout its contour in reciprocatory movement a portion of the material extending from said rolled portion, a socket in said support member for mounting the attachment rigidly on the presser bar of a sewing machine, and an aperture in the bottom of said support member for the passage of said needle during an operation on said material.

2. An attachment for darning, embroidering and the like adapted to be mounted on a sewing machine of the type having a presser bar and a reciprocating needle, comprising a cup-shaped support member for supporting on its exterior surface a rolled portion of the work material out of the line of vision of an operator watching the progress of work performed by said needle, said support member having a rounded bottom arranged to guide thereunder throughout its contour in reciprocatory movement a portion of the material extending from said rolled portion, said support member having laterally extending flanges for holding the rolled portion of said material on said support member during manual reciprocation of the portion of the material extending under said bottom, a

socket in said support member for mounting the attachment rigidly on the presser bar of a sewing machine, and

an aperture in the bottom of said support member for the passage of said needle during an operation on said material.

3. An attachment for darning, embroidering and the like adapted to be mounted on a sewing machine of the type having a presser bar and a reciprocating needle, comprising a cup-shaped support member for supporting on its exterior surface a rolled portion of the work material out of the line of vision of an operator watching the progress of work performed by said needle, said attachment having a rounded bottom arranged to guide thereunder throughout its contour in reciprocatory movement a portion of the material extending from said rolled portion, the bottom of said attachment being formed of a transparent substance to provide full visibility of the darning operation, a socket in said attachment for mounting the attachment rigidly on the presser bar of a sewing machine, and an aperture in the bottom of said attachment for the passage of said needle during an operation on said material.

4. An attachment for darning, embroidering and the like adapted to be mounted on a sewing machine of the type having a presser bar and a reciprocating needle, said attachment comprising a rounded bottom for stretching and guiding throughout its contour a portion of a work material and a superstructure formed integrallywith said bottom for supporting'a rolled portion of the work material out of the line of vision of an operator watching the progress of work performed by said needle, a laterally extending flange portion on said attachment for holding the rolled portion of said material during manual reciprocation relative to said attachment of the portion of the material extending under said bottom, a socket for mounting the attachment rigidly on the presser bar of a sewing machine, and an aperture in the bottom of said attach-' ment for the passage of said needle during an operation on said material.

5. A darning attachment fora sewing machine having a presser bar and a reciprocating needle, comprising a cup-shaped support member arranged to carry loosely around its side walls a rolled portion of a garment to be darned, said support member having a bottom wall provided with a contoured under surface arranged to guide along its cont-our in reciprocatory movement a portion of said garment extending from said rolled portion, said bottom wall having an aperture for the passage of said needle, and means on said attachment for mounting said attachment on said presser bar.

6. A darning attachment for a sewing machine having a presser bar and a reciprocating needle, comprising a cup-shaped support member arranged to carry loosely around its side walls a rolled portion of a garment to be darned, said support member having a bottom wall provided with a contoured under surface arranged to guide along its contour in reciprocatory movement a portion of said garment extending from said rolled portion, said bottom wall having an aperture for the passage of said needle, and means on said attachment for mounting said attachment on said presser bar, the side walls of said support member having apertures therein for permitting access to the interior of said support member.

7. An attachment for darning, embroidering and the like adapted to be mounted on a sewing machine of the type having a presser bar and a reciprocating needle, comprising a work material holder of approximately circular shape having a transparent bottom wall across the under surface of which the material may be extended and a raised surrounding rim portion on said wall adapted to support loosely'a rolled portion of the material for reciprocatory and rotary manipulation of the material size to present an extensive working area of the extended material to view between opposite sides of said rim, an aperture for the sewing machineneedle approximately in the center of said bottom wall, and a socket-substantially within said rim for mounting the attachment rigidly on said presser bar. g y

8. In combination with a sewing machine of the type having a presser bar and a reciprocating needle, a work material holder of approximately circular shape having a transparent bottom wall across the under surface of which the material may be extended and a raised sur rounding rim portion on said wall adapted to support loosely a rolled portionrof the material for reciprocatory and rotary manipulation of the material relative to the holder, said bottom wall being of sufficient size to present an extensive working area of the extended material to view between opposite sides of said rim, an aperture for the sewing machine needle approximately in the center of said bottom wall, and a socket substantially within said rim mounting the holder rigidly on said presser bar.

9'. A work material holder for a sewing machine having a presser bar and a reciprocating needle, comprising a transparent bottom wall and a raised surrounding rim arranged to support rolled portions of the material at suflicient distance on all sides of saidzaperture to present to view an extended working area of the material under. said wall between said rolled portions,. and a socket on the holder for mounting the holder on the presser bar of the sewing machine.

References Cited in-the 'fileof this patent 2,642,022 June 16, 1953 Johnson having a needle aperture 

